


Exam Week

by yamihere



Series: Things We Do [7]
Category: No Fandom, Original Work
Genre: College, Exams, Food, Friendship, Gen, Massage, Reader-Insert, Stress, Studying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-18
Updated: 2019-01-18
Packaged: 2019-10-05 08:58:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17321927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yamihere/pseuds/yamihere
Summary: You've got a headache and are studying so hard you don't know the difference between day and night until a friend comes along with a snack.Alternatively:You have a headache and the list of things you need to study is never-ending. Maybe someone can help with that.





	Exam Week

**Author's Note:**

> Ah, finals week. Hell incarnate itself. A week where there is sleep deprivation and two steps from madness. I just got out of it myself and am piecing together the remainder of my soul.
> 
> Anyways, this isn't proofread so feel free to point out any errors.

The bland white screen made your bloodshot eyes water. You shut your eyes hard and smashed your wireless mouse on the desk. No matter how hard you worked, it was like the list of things you had to study was only growing. Even more, the cries of victories of people who seemingly didn’t have exams filtered in through your dorm window made you so angry you had to leave your room to study at the library. It was for the best. Your laptop didn’t deserve your wrath, specifically you chucking it out the window at the unsuspecting colleagues.

So, here you were at the library, sitting in a heap of frustration in one of the studying rooms. An air of silence encompassed the normally lively area as most students stared dead-eyed at their laptops and notebooks or they had passed out mid study session. The bags around your eyes screamed for you to take a break especially with the sharp pain that sent your train of thought off the rail every two seconds. Desperate for some relief, you checked your phone to see if it was 7 o’clock. At least if you knew you spent the whole day studying, you wouldn’t feel as bad for throwing in the towel. A knock jolted you out of the reverie you weren’t even aware you entered.

“Come in,” you croaked.

The door slowly opened and a girl clad in a black hoody and faded jeans slipped inside with a tote bag and soft smile in tow. She softly closed the door behind her. Her fluffy small bun on the top of her head looked like cotton candy. _Edible._ Your eyebrows twisted upward in confusion. _What the fuck did I just think?_ Looked like you missed lunch. Her quizzical look drew you from your thoughts and you opened your mouth to let a greeting stumble out.

“H-,” you started, voice sounding like Kermit from disuse and cleared your throat. “Hi.”

“Hey, stranger,” she lazily returned and you moved your backpack off the chair so she could sit.

She slung her tote bag on the table easing into the chair with a smug look. _Oh no_ , you never knew what that look meant.

“To what do I owe this visit?” you asked curiously, sitting up in your chair.

To that, she just passed you a water bottle. In a heat of anger, you didn’t eat breakfast or bring water and snack with you. You uncapped it and tried not to drink desperately from the bottle. Her eyes narrowed and she shook her head before speaking. _To hell with not appearing like a thirsty mad man._

“Your roommate said you’ve been in study mode since 4AM. And knowing you, you forget to eat—,” she gives him a smoldering look, “and drink by the looks of it. I always tell you can’t take care of business if you can’t take care of yourself!”

You sheepishly looked at her. She crossed her arms and huffed. You shrugged and offered her an apologetic grimace. Her frown deepened. You guess she wasn’t having it this time.

“I guess I shouldn’t bring out the food I got for you,” she threatened, reaching for the tote bag while turning the chair towards the door.

Normally, you would have played it off that you weren’t hungry to get on her nerves but your stomach protested loudly. Embarrassed, you checked out the window to see if anyone had heard the grumbling concert. She lifted and eyebrow and pursed her lips.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I’ll try to take better care,” you pleaded between flashing puppy eyes at her and hungrily eyeing the food.

“Two meals a day at least?” She threatened.

“Yeah,” you murmured. You were lying. You didn’t have time to eat. It was like you were in a trance and you didn’t realize how much time passed until your roommate asked if you had dinner. It was bad, you know.

When her frown didn’t let up, you changed your answer, “Yes, yes! Two meals a day with snacks in between.”

“You can’t enjoy your diploma and debt if you die before you graduate,” she chided with a joking twinkle in her eyes.

 _That’s the plan_ , you thought but before you could vocalize it she passed you a spoon. You released a held breath when the frown dispersed into a smile. She dug through the bag and took out two covered bowls. Blatantly ignoring the “no food or drink” above the door, she uncovered each bowl. One of them had yellow rice made sprinkled with cooked carrots, green peppers, red peppers, and onions. The other had chicken in a sort of sauce and okra. This wasn’t what you were used to but the smell of the now uncovered food swept away your qualms and seduced your stomach.

“My savior,” you moaned as you took the first bite of just the rice.

A shit eating grin spread on her face.  “The one and only. Try it with the chicken sauce and okra. Bro, it’s orgasmic. I made it last night while listening to orgo lectures.”

A barrage of flavor exploded in your mouth when you took a big spoon of the recommended combination. _Geeze, she isn’t kidding_. You swallowed awkwardly when you noticed how invested she was into watching you eat in silence. Time to make conversation. In between bites you asked her how classes were going.

“Group projects are bullshit. As usual. People don’t show. As usual. But on the bright side, I’m not running on five hours of sleep for once.”

You tilted your head and clicked your tongue. “And you come at me for my eating habits.”

She put a hand to her heart and her lips parted in mock shock. “I take naps!”

You rolled your eyes. “Doesn’t mean you’re not dead inside during the day.”

She dismissively waved you off. “Eh, I’m the same either way. Some might say I’m even worse when I get seven hours. Anyways, what are you studying for?”

You groaned as the scattered papers on the desk re-entered your vision. “Everything. And I’ve got a headache to boot.”

She grimaced. “Oof, did you bring your medicine? It’s usually on you.”

“I forgot it at home,” you said and winced at the deepening pang of pain in your head.

“Damn, I could run back and get it for you…” she started but her words die when you nod.

“I can brave it out for another two hours.”

 “Your headaches are intense.”

She tried again but you weren’t having it. “No worries, I won’t black out this time.”

You covered the bowls so you could enjoy the rest later. You made a mental reminder to wash and return her bowls.

“Thanks for the food by the way. You’re my hero.”

She shrugged. “Anything for my friends.”

You pulled your chair closer to the desk and started looking at the notes on the orange tinted screen once more. She didn’t leave and it felt rude to not say anything before you got absorbed into your studying. “So, are you heading back to the dorm?”

“Nah, I’ll chill here for a while.”

Something inside you fluttered. Hopefully she wasn’t staying because of the headache thing. Flashes of the worried surprised on her face when the world went black for you played in a loop in your head. It looked like she never got over it.

“Look, you don’t need to—“

“I’ve got nowhere better to be.”

“Well…”

You shut your mouth. There was nothing to say to that. Instead you continued studying and your surrounding turned to negative space as the information runs through your mind at a hundred miles an hour. She knew the routine. At some point, the words on the screen started to violently shake. Out of the corner of your eyes you saw her scrolling through her phone with headphones. Not wanting to alarm her, you picked up the water bottle and the water sloshes in the bottle form your trembling hands. Breathe. Sip. Breathe. Sip. Your vision stopped swimming and now the letters only shimmered a little. You can handle this.

The words held no space in your mind. In fact, you could have sworn you read the same page of notes a thousand times. Slamming the mouse down, you decided you better move to another subject, making a mental note to go back and finish what you started at some point tomorrow. A sudden tingle ran down your spine to your toes, dulling unpleasant sensations. The pulsing of your finger tips made your sigh and you noticed how much pressure you put on them even though you were just using a wireless mouse. Hands ran through your hair and tenderly massage your scalp. A shiver you didn’t have time to suppress courses through your body. Tension leaked from your body and your shoulders loosened. You didn’t want it to stop so you didn’t say anything as she continued the head massage. You almost whimpered at the loss of the hands on your head.

“Do you want me to keep going?” She asked quietly.

You opened your eyes and tilted your head backwards to look at her. “Yeah.”

The unspoken please was heard loud and clear. She chuckled and combed out your hair with her fingers.

“They say I’ve got mother’s touch.”

“Huh?”

“ My mom used to do this all the time for me at church when I was little. I think that’s the only reason I wasn’t running around causing chaos.”

“Like you do now?” you added jokingly.

“Yup,” you heard the smile in her voice and kept studying. The pain was still present but not as frequent and consistent. Whatever she was doing was working. She stopped to put in your headphones and you went back to work. After what seemed like 20 minutes, she stopped and popped out her earbuds.

“I’ve gotta run. It’s 5:02PM and I have to force my roommate to go belly dancing tryouts,” she said stepping away and gathering her stuff.

“Oh, good luck to her. She’s probably just gets last minute jitters. What if she tries to escape the room?” you joked.

She scowled. “I wouldn’t put it past her. It’s not even that it’s the jitters though. Anyways, I’ve got to go but I hope your feel better.”

“With that massage? For a lifetime.”

She shook her head grinning before she slipped through the door just as quietly as she came. An hour  and a half later, your phone alarm chirped at you and you see a reminder to leave the library. _Huh_ , you don’t remember setting that. Nonetheless, you packed your bag and headed back to your dorm. Once in the safety of your room, you stuffed the bowls in the mini fridge and threw your backpack on the wooden chair. Your clothes flew off and landed on the desk and then you dove into your bed. You should probably take the medicine for your headache but instead you let sleep caress you into a world of dreams. The last thing you thought was that you didn’t want to take the damn exam but you gladly owed her.


End file.
